<\/p>
Classical music inspired by Shakespeare? Now, this is going to be fun. It is thanks to Shakespeare that we have one of the most famous ever quotes about music. As Twelfth Night<\/em> opens, Duke Orsino speaks the words that are familiar to millions of us: \u2018If music be the food of love, play on\u2019.<\/p> Shakespeare\u2019s plays are awash with music. His characters make reference to music; singers and dancers regularly accompany the action on stage; and the Bard\u2019s words themselves flow melodiously.<\/p> Unsurprisingly, then, composers for centuries have in turn been inspired by Shakespeare\u2019s plays. Tragedies, comedies and histories have alike found themselves entering the repertoire, represented in all manner of ways: from Purcell<\/strong><\/a>, writing in the same century that Shakespeare died, to Thomas Ad\u00e8s<\/a><\/strong> in the present day; from Nordic types such as Sibelius<\/strong><\/a> and Stenhammar to those masters of Italian opera, Rossini and Verdi; from the briefest overtures<\/a><\/strong> to grand operas.<\/p>